[Zack Molnar]

I just finished "The Making of the Masters" by David Owen, and he mentions a couple times that Alister MacKenzie thought that #3 at AGNC was as close to a perfect golf hole as he had achieved. What are some other holes that people thing are essentially perfect? And do you agree that #3 is indeed perfect?

[Tom_Doak]

#3?  Seriously?

It's hard to imagine MacKenzie picking a hole he never saw finished.

[jeffwarne]

#3?  Seriously?

It's hard to imagine MacKenzie picking a hole he never saw finished.

three is a hole which I feel has gotten better with technology.
the first guy I ever saw hit driver was Daly,leaving himself a very difficult shot which he had the skill to pull off occasionally.
Everyone else simply laid up.

Now I see a mix of plays there and I saw Bubba hit it about a yard short there last year.

a good hole,an underated hole,but perfect?

[Alex Miller]

Perfect (or close to) in whose eyes though?


#3 is a very good hole from where I'm sitting (that would be on the couch watching The Masters), but it's not my favorite on the course. I think as a group ANGC's par 5s may be as close to a perfect combo as there is, but it'll be so hard to get a consensus on anything "perfect".

Again, in combination the best holes that I've played may be 10 and 11 (from the low tees) at Pacific Dunes. Maybe I feel the need to value routing in the equation for perfection since evaluating one hole on its own without its place in the course seems incomplete to me.

[Mac Plumart]

16 at Bandon Dunes.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Tom beat me to it. Ditto.

I'm a big fan of the design of the green site at Augusta's 3rd, but it certainly doesn't immediately jump to mind when I try to think about 'perfect holes'... if there even is such a thing.

[Chris Burgard]

Was he referring to the current 12th?

[Zack Molnar]

Chris,

When he originally designed the course, the nines were as they are currently. So, he was referring to the current #3.

[Anthony Gray]

  The 12th at Kingsbarns

[Garland Bayley]

  The 12th at Kingsbarns

Anthony, I know your spelling is flaky, but that is the most unusual spelling of Cruden Bay that I have ever seen.

[Alex Miller]

  The 12th at Kingsbarns

Anthony, I know your spelling is flaky, but that is the most unusual spelling of Cruden Bay that I have ever seen.

Keep 'em coming. I'm cracking up.

[Mark Saltzman]

Sand Hills #14 is the best short par-5 I've seen. I don't know if a perfect golf hole is really possible, but this one is darned close.

[Keith OHalloran]

The 7th at Sand Hills is perfect, IMO.

[Mike Hogan]

I can think of a couple that are perfect to me.
Old Mac #15 and North Berwick #2.

[Ben Sims]

I argue that there are great golf holes and there are perfect golf holes.  

Sadly, I haven't begun to delineate between what is a perfect golf hole and what is a great golf hole.  One is truly the epitome of what a golf hole should be.  Like something you might see in those coffee table books.  Think #16 at Cypress or #13 at Augusta.  The other is merely the perfect use of the land at the perfect time in the round and a perfectly timed challenge (or relief) for what you feel as a golfer. Great holes get all the pub, perfect holes make great courses.  

Going deeper, there is no such thing and never will be a such thing as a perfect course or design utopia.  It's impossible for 18 great holes to be on one property.  You will always compare one to another, or there will always be a let down, or the routing will falter here or there. For a course like Pacific Dunes or Crystal Downs to be so perfect in cohesion is for there to be a handful of perfect golf holes in between the great ones.

[Tim Bert]

Sand Hills #14 is the best short par-5 I've seen. I don't know if a perfect golf hole is really possible, but this one is darned close.

+1.  If ever I were going to be invited somewhere and only allowed to play one hole on the course when I arrived, this might be the one.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

3, 7, 11, 13 and 15 at Cypress Point. 8 at Pebble Beach, 4, 5, 10  at Olympic Club Lake, 7 at Augusta National, 11 TOC, 11and 12 for me at  Mountain Lake, 12 for me at Oakbourne Cc, 7,8  MPCC Shore, 7, 10, 11 MPCC Dunes.

[David_Tepper]

#5 at Royal Dornoch, a great short par-4.

[Sean Leary]

6 at Pacific Dunes.

[Adam Clayman]

I just finished "The Making of the Masters" by David Owen, and he mentions a couple times that Alister MacKenzie thought that #3 at AGNC was as close to a perfect golf hole as he had achieved. What are some other holes that people thing are essentially perfect? And do you agree that #3 is indeed perfect?

He said this about the 3rd at Pebble Beach.

[Anthony Gray]

I just finished "The Making of the Masters" by David Owen, and he mentions a couple times that Alister MacKenzie thought that #3 at AGNC was as close to a perfect golf hole as he had achieved. What are some other holes that people thing are essentially perfect? And do you agree that #3 is indeed perfect?

He said this about the 3rd at Pebble Beach.

 In that book?

[Mark McKeever]

16 at St. Georges CC on Long Island. 

Mark

[Shane Wright]

#13 TOC  
#14 TOC
#12 Ballyneal
#16 Bandon Dunes
#7 Royal County Down

Id like to add a few from.some lesser known courses. I'll think about it a little more.

[Mark Saltzman]

Seems to be some consensus that Cypress Point's 16th belongs on this thread...

2. #16 at Cypress Point is the perfect golf hole.  What else is needed?  The setting is inspired.  The hole offers numerous options.  The green complex is awesome.  It truly blew me away.  I am not a good enough writer to describe the emotions and feelings the course and #16 generated.

Is there another hole in the country that even belongs in the discussion?

The 16th hole at Cypress Point is THE greatest golf hole in the world.

It is heroic, strategic AND penal.

It is situated on one of the most breathtaking land forms in the world.

It is the orgasm of the most sensual golf experience on earth.

It overwhelms you visually, emotionally, spiritually, physically and psychologically.

It attacks your sensorium from every possible perspective.

It is the peak experience on quite possibly the greatest course in the universe.

It demands the ultimate from your golf game.

It is simply - unforgettable.

Continue your debate/discussion. Obviously, from my perspective, it is moot and, at most, unadulterated blather.

[Lou Cutolo]

I think the 8 hole at NGLA would qualify as a perfect golf hole, it has a few option off the tee and a great green complex. It requires three perfect shots to make a birdie.

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